Backpacks: for Picnics, Parks, and the Pool

Just in time for summer adventure, I made new backpacks for the girls. After a look at the darling Penguin version from the Oliver+S book Little Things to Sew, I knew I had finally found the perfect pack pattern. I have made other backpacks for them; one was a super simple nap-sack version with no zippers and very little shape. I also copied a friend’s existing pack, and it worked fairly well, but was too small.

backpacks, unzipped

The next was a version from Stitch that Melissa designed. I like the size of that one, but made a poor choice by not lining it and using too lightweight of fabric. It just didn’t hold up super well, which was not the pattern’s fault, but completely mine.

So so cute!

When I saw Erica’s sample of the Penguin backpack for her upcoming class, I knew this was the pack I was looking for. I really liked working with the pattern. It came together beautifully, was written clearly, and used interfacing in just the right places.

My older daughter wanted a slightly bigger version, so I used Melissa’s pattern for size and constructed it according to the Oliver+S instructions, lined, a bit of interfacing along the zipper panel, and an inside pocket. Perfect.

There are other projects in this book I will try for sure. The sun hats, the tutus, the cape and more. Oliver+S’s patterns are great fun and produce simple, good-looking results. Sometimes we choose to teach our classes out of books instead of patterns, because even though the price is higher initially, the value is much greater. This book has dozens of patterns for kids of a wide age range, and is truly full of inspiration.